Boat steering, anchor control, and depth measuring device



Dec. 18, 1962 R. ELLIS BOAT STEERING, ANCHOR CONTROL, AND DEPTH MEASURING DEVICE Flled Feb 25, 1960 :ral:

FIG. 2

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VII/l III/l III/ll lll lllll United States Patent Ofiice aosaszs Patented Dec. 18, 1962 3,068,828 BOAT STEERING, ANCHUR CONTROL, AND DEPTH MEASURING DEVICE Robert Ellis, 350 E. Plaza, Solana Beach, Calif. Filed Feb. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 11,036 8 Claims. (U. 114206) This invention relates to boat steering, anchor control and depth measuring device and the principal object of the invention is the provision of a combination device which will accomplish all these objects from and with the steering wheel at the helmsmans position on the boat.

Other and further objects will appear in the specification and will be specifically pointed out in the appended claims, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings exemplifying the invention, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the customary small boat equipped with this device.

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional View on the line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the anchor socket taken on the line 55 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG. 5.

Referring to the drawings in which like characters and numerals of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views, the numeral 7 denotes the hull of a small boat, which may be driven either by motor or sail (not shown), and of which 8 denotes the bottom, 9 the lower deck, 10 the cabin and 11 the upper deck on which it is generally necessary for one member of the crew to clamber onto and manipulate the anchor 12. The boat is steered in the customary manner by means of the steering wheel 13 which in this case is attached to horizontal shaft 14 which bears in standard 15 atone end and the partition 16 at the other end. A bevel friction wheel 17 is attached to the shaft 14, as by a press fit, and which frictionally contacts the mating bevel friction wheel 18, thus causing the vertically disposed shaft 19, to which wheel 18 is attached, to rotate according to the degree of rotation of the steering wheel 13. Spur gear wheels may be substituted for the friction wheels 17 and 18 if desired. The rudder 20 is thus swung either to the right or left according to the manipulation of the steering wheel 13, the numerals 21, 22 and 23 denoting links between the shaft 19 and rudder post 24. The rudder 20 may also be operated by ropes from the steering wheel 13 (not shown) which would not alter the operation of my invention.

Also to the horizontally disposed steering wheel shaft 14 is securely fitted the clutch member 25 having teeth 26 and which clutch member is normally out of mesh with its co-operating similar clutch member 27 which latter is free to rotate on shaft 14. The clutch member 27 is also attached to or integral with the flange 28 of reel 29 to which one end of anchor rope 30 is attached (not illustrated), for the purpose of pulling up or letting down the anchor 12 as Will be readily understood. The reel 29 is normally held from rotating, that is, in a direction opposite to arrow 31, by means of the pawl 32 catching one of the ratchet teeth 33, thus preventing the anchor 12 from falling out of its socket 34 by the action of gravity. From reel 29 the anchor rope 30 passes over pulleys 35, 36 and 37, the latter being located directly over the anchor socket 34 at the bow of the boat. Attached to pulley is the small friction wheel 38 which bears against the larger friction wheel 39 equipped with the pointer 40 and which, see FIG. 4, points to the indicia 41 signifying ten feet for each revolution of the friction wheel 39 and from which it is thus an easy matter' for the boat operator to determine the depth of the water when the anchor 12 reaches the bottom and stops the wheel 39 from further rotation. The wheel 39 is frictionally held to its shaft 42, thus permitting easy adjustment for inaccuracies which may eventually develop. The relation of circumferences between pulley 35 and friction wheels 33 and 39 are such as to indicate customary distances such as feet, fathoms, meters, etc.

The operation of this device is now as follows; assuming the boat operator arrives at a location at which he desires to drop anchor, he then pushes steering wheel 13 forward a distance 43 in the direction of arrow 44 so that it assumes the position indicated by the dotted lines 45. This action has thus released the frictional contact between friction wheels 17 and 18 so that rudder 26 becomes inoperative, the rudder not now being required to function. Also, this action simultaneously engages the clutch members 25 and 27, the teeth 26 being engaged with the corresponding teeth of clutch member 27 as will be readily understood. The steering wheel 13 is now adapted to manipulate the anchor 12 which latter is now lowered by simply lifting the pawl 32, this action disengaging it from the ratchet teeth33 and permitting the anchor 12 to drop to the bottom through the action of gravity, the indicating wheel 39 being set to rotate once for every ten feet of travel of the anchor rope 30, in this case, thus informing the boat operator regarding the depth of the water over which his boat travels. The distance of drift of the boat from the position of the anchor is now easily stopped by merely flipping over the pawl 32 onto the ratchet teeth 33 as indicated by the dotted lines 46. Before the above described operation was able to take place however, it was necessary for the operator to swing sideways the weighted stop 47 which normally holds the clutch members 25 and 27 apart as well as keeping the friction wheels 17 and 18 into close contact. The stop 47 also prevents the steering wheel 13 to be inadvertently shifted to the position shown by the dotted lines 45. Also, after the clutch members 25 and 27 have been closed in order to manipulate the anchor 12, the swinging stop 47 is again released by the hand of the operator and which stop therefore physically contacts the opposite side of the clutch member 25, thus locking the clutch members together, thus averting any possible accident while manipulating the anchor. The stop 47 stays in position by weight 51 which is integral therewith and a fork 52 is also provided to keep the flange 28 of reel 2? in position as better illustrated in FIG. 3. In pulling up the anchor 12, the operator turnsthe steering wheel in direction of arrow 31 which winds the anchor rope 30 onto reel 29, the pawl 32 preventing reverse rotation as will be readily understood. The shank 49 of the anchor 12 fits into the socket 34 which latter is attached by bolts 48to the outer side of the prow of the boat as illustrated, the upper portion of the socket 34 entering to the inside of the boat through the usual overhang of the prow (not illustrated). The shank 49 of the anchor 12 consists of a hollow pipe through which the rope 30 passes and terminates at the thimble 50, thus enabling the fiukes of the anchor to be drawn way up to the lower end of the socket 34 to prevent swaying when the boat rocks. After the anchor 12 has been pulled up by means of the better leverage and greater convenience afforded by manipulating the steering wheel for this purpose, in the manner just described, the pawl 32 is left in mesh with the ratchet teeth 33, the stop 47 is temporarily swung aside, see FIG. 4, and the steering wheel 13 is pulled back into normal steering position as shown in FIG. 3, the stop 47 again automatically swinging back to normal, holding the clutch members apart and simulsteering wheel and shaft in either taneously assuring frictional contact between wheels 17 and 18 enabling the steering wheel 13 to function again.

Numeral 53 denotes a slightly curved conduit through which anchor rope '30 passes (dotted lines).

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that or dirty hands which would occur if the .anchor was manipulated in thecustomary manner.

Various changes may be made in the embodiment of the invention hereinabove specifically described Without departing from or sacrificing the advantages of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.

,1. In a boat, a rudder for steering the boat, an anchor and attached anchor rope for securing the boat to the bottom, a steering wheel mounted to a centrally disposed shaft, a bearing for said shaft, a combination bevel pinion "and clutch memberattached to saidshaft, a reel adapted it to wind up the said anchor rope, said reel'being free to rotate about said shaft, clutch means attached to said reel, another-bevel pinion conne'cted to said rudder and mounted adjacent to said first nam'ed pinion, thesaid steering wheel and shaft being slidable longitudinally so that the aforesaid combination bevel pinion and clutch member may contact the said last mentioned bevel pinion tosteer the boat whenthe, said steering wheeland shaft is moved longitudinally in one direction and to rotate the aforesaid reel to manipulate the anchor when the said steering wheel and'shaft is moved longitudinally in the opposite direction.

2. A boat asin claim 1, and means for holding the said set manipulating position,

3. In a boat as in claim 1, and means for-holding the said steering wheel and shaft in either se manipulating position, and means for first requiring the manual release of said holding means before the said steering wheel and shaft may be longitudinally moved in the opposite direction to that of the preceding directional movement thereof. a

4. In a boat, a rudder for steering the boat, an anchor,

' a reel, an anchor .Iope having one end thereof attached to said anchor and the-other end thereof to said reel, a

' .der, means connecting said steeringwheel to said rudder,

and means for manually releasing the said steering wheel from said rudder connecting means and simultaneously steering wheel adapted to normally manipulate the. rudder, means connecting said steering wheel to said rudder, and means for manually releasing the'said steering wheel from said'rudder connecting means and simultaneously connecting said steering wheel. to said reel.

5. In a boat as in claim 4, a manually operable safety locking means to hold saidsteering'wheel connected to' said rudder or said reel.

6. In a boat as in claim 4, and a manually operable safety locking means, said safety locking means automatical'ly'locking said steering wheel and requiring manual release from such locking means.

. r 7; In a boat, a rudder for steering the boat, an anchor and attachedjanchor rope for securing the boat to the bottom, a steering wheel mounted to a centrally disposed shaft, a bearing for said shaft, a combination bevel pinion V and clutch member attached to said shaft, a reel adapted to wind up the said anchor rope, said reel being free to rotate'about said shaft, .clutchmeans attached to said reel, another bevel pinion connected to said'rudder and mounted adjacent to said first named pinion, the said steering wheel and shaft being. slidable. longitudinally so' that the aforesaid combination bevel pinion and; clutch member may contact the last mentioned bevel pinion to steer the boat when the said steeringwheel and shaft is moved longitudinally in one direction and to rotate the aforesaid reel to manipillatelthe anchor when the. saidsteering wheel and shaftis moved longitudinally in the opposite direction, and a pulley, means for passing said "anchor rope over said pulley, counter actuated by said pulley. a a 8. In a boat, a rudder for. steering the boat, an anchor,

a reel, an anchor rope having one end thereof attached to said anchor and the otherend thereof to said feel, a steering wheel adapted to normally manipulate the rudconnecting said steering wheel to said reel, and means for passing said anchor rope through a depth measuring means. 7

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,121,783 r 1,360,105 r V Flisek Nov. 23, 1920 1,625,871 Robertson et al. .Apr; 26, 1927' 1,799,257 Schaumann Apr. 7, l93l- 2,993,989

and a revolution McDougall V Dec. 29, 1914 Winslow -Q. Sept. 15, 1959 

